1Scope is making it easy for students to find skill-building opportunities

1Scope is making it easy for students to find skill-building opportunities

Posted on July 20, 2017

A Sydney-based organisation is connecting students with skill-building opportunities at major companies, government agencies, charities and tertiary institutions.

1Scope is an online platform based on the simple idea of linking students aged 12-25 with opportunities that develop the skills they’re interested in.

Since launching in May 2016, 1Scope have grown to hosting 6800 students on their online platform, 75% of which have gone on to complete a skill-building opportunity through the website. At the start of 2017 1Scope received $1 million in funding to further grow their social enterprise.

The most popular skills students are looking to develop are those in communication, critical thinking and confidence building.

1Scope CEO Christina Chun. Photograph: Supplied

1Scope founder and CEO, Christina Chun, says that while your academic marks may have been enough to land you a good career 20 years ago, the system is changing.

“It’s no longer about the resume where you’ve got an academic score, or certifications,” says Christina.

“You can now start talking about the things you’ve learned or the things you’ve done.”

That perspective is certainly supported by other current initiatives and research. Teaching skills such as entrepreneurship and creativity have been cited as integral to the success of students, and some schools have even begun offering enterprise-based programs. More and more, it is the skills developed through hands-on opportunities that are giving students an edge.

“When you actually create a project yourself and run it, you can see all the mistakes and gaps that you’ve missed,” says Christina.

“That’s probably the fastest way you can learn about something.”

The way the platform works is simple. The 1Scope team first reach out to schools, getting as many students, teachers, principals and careers advisors aware of the platform, as well as to find out what skills students want to develop. Next, the team reaches out to the companies, government institutions, and nonprofits that could offer opportunities that build these skills. The platform is free to use and it takes about 10 minutes to build a profile.

Feedback received from students after Devika's VR workshop through 1Scope showed students were engaged and interested in the technology.

Devika has been involved with 1Scope since January 2017 after the company reached out to them. Devika had already been offering a two-hour virtual reality workshop, and together the two companies are working to see if the program could be implemented in schools. The initial feedback from students trialing Devika’s VR program through 1Scope have rated the workshop quite highly, something which Christina says reflects the growth of VR overall.

“We know virtual reality is on the rise. Students are just highly engaged with it”

For more information about 1Scope and the skill-building opportunities they offer, visit their website 1Scope.com.